Ocean Blue
by power.in.a.pen
Summary: My name is Chloe Beale. And I'm addicted to that ocean blue.
1. First Date

She was always trouble. The way her ocean blue eyes glinted dangerously in the moonlight. She had a pull on people, anyone would do anything for my Beca. Everyone wanted her, that was no secret, but the one she wanted was me.

I'll never understand why. She was small, only 5'1", but she commanded the room. I was shy and timid. Where she was a bad girl, hardened by her life; I was a girl next door type with nothing to complain about. But something happened that afternoon on the Quad. She made my knees go wobbly. All my constitution blew away with the smoke she exhaled as she passed on the pipe, She locked her eyes on mine and walked over.

"Look… I don't know you, but I want to. Let me take you out. Please?" the first words Beca Mitchell ever said to me.

"Why? So you can go laugh about it with your hood friends afterwards? Thanks for the offer, but I'll pass." the first words I ever said to her. I shouldered my bag and got up to leave. She grabbed my arm and stopped me.

"No, because you intrigue me. Everyday you come out here at two, sit against this tree and read. Not study, but read. Like, novels. Some real fucking nerdy shit sometimes. However, lately I've seen you out at a few clubs and you party like the world's going to end. Not to mention you're on the baseball team. You've got dimension, depth, you leave nothing to go off of. I can't figure you out, and I want to. So badly." she grinned and her ocean blue eyes flashed. A sight I still swoon for.

"One date Mitchell. You can have one date. If I don't like it, you and your friends find a new place to get stoned. If I do like it, well, maybe we can do it again sometime." I took out my notebook and wrote down my dorm address on it, along with my number. "Nine o clock tonight sound good?" I asked her.

"I'll be there. It was really nice to finally talk to you Chloe." she smiled then, and it seemed foreign on her face. Like somehow, that smile had never belonged.

~ That Night~

"You're joking, right? You don't actually expect me to get on that deathtrap?" I asked shocked as Beca leaned against a green street bike, finishing a smoke.

"Unless you feel like walking to South Seattle… Yeah, I do." she said amused as she flicked her butt across the road.

"I have a car. We can take my car. Please God." she laughed.

"Trust me Chloe, I haven't crashed it yet. I swear to you, I'll go easy." she strapped a helmet on me. "Just hold me tight and I'll go slow okay?" I nodded. "You'll be fine doll. Trust me." she climbed on the bike and I got on behind her. I held on to her.

She pulled out of the parking spot. All of the sudden, I wasn't scared anymore. I trusted her. For some reason I trusted Beca Mitchell, of all fucking people, with my life. She didn't even have any regard for her own.

We got to the restaurant in a half hour's time. I was actually sad to be getting off the bike. I kinda liked it.

We sat down and Beca started asking me all kinds of questions. She wanted to know about where I grew up, what I liked to do, what I wanted to be, my favorite music, everything. She was genuinely interested too. When I'd tell her a story she would laugh at all the right spots, and ask for more details if she was confused. She cared about the things I said. She wasn't shy about answering questions either. She told me about her past, and how she grew to be the person she is. Her brother, for all intents and purposes, was her rock. She told me about how they found each other, how they protected each other. Beca had a lot of pain. She grew up on the streets of Chicago, and from what she said of the place… It wasn't pleasant. Finally at about 12:30, the waitress had to ask us to leave. Beca paid for the check and we left.

Beca took me back to campus. When I climbed off the bike and handed her helmet back to her, she looked at me expectantly.

"Can I see you again?" she asked.

I wanted so badly to toy with her, to play 'hard to get', but I couldn't. I already had it bad for her.

"You had better. I had a really good time tonight. Call me sometime okay? Thank you for tonight. Good night Beca." I kissed her quickly on the cheek, and went upstairs.

As my door clicked shut behind me, my phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. I answered it.

"Is it too soon? I kind of miss being around you already." Beca's voice came through the phone.

"Come on up. Third floor."


	2. Coming Clean

I leaned on the frame of my door waiting for Beca. A few seconds later, she came up the stairs and her face broke into that unfamiliar smile.

"Can we take a walk? I want to talk more. I'm really enjoying this. I've never had anyone but Jesse to talk to and he's either heard it or seen it before. Plus, I think you are absolutely beautiful in the moonlight." she held out her hand. I took it and our fingers laced together.

We walked through campus for a while, in a comfortable silence. Finally Beca looked at me and started talking.

"Look, I like you. I want this to last in some way, shape or form. There's something I need to tell you. When Jesse and I were sixteen, his biological sister got raped. It was pretty violent and gruesome. Jesse and I were doing a lot of drugs, and our reasoning skills weren't too sharp. We grabbed our weapons and headed out to find the guy. When we found him we beat him shitless. He couldn't even stand up by the time it was done. Jesse wasn't satisfied. He took my blade and cut his chest and arm a bit. Then he jammed it into the guy's throat, and left him for dead. I'm not proud of it, but we did right by her. I thought you should know what I'm capable of doing before you made any decisions about me. I spent almost a decade living on the streets. I'm not… Normal. I'm a criminal. Also, I sell weed. That can be stopped if it bothers you though." she stopped at a bench and plopped down. The way she stared at her sneakers told me that she was terrified of my next move.

"You going to kill anyone again anytime soon?" I asked sitting beside her. She shook her head, and continued examining the apparently fascinating black canvas on her shoes. "Then we are okay. People do crazy things to protect their family. As for the drug dealing… I'm not as innocent as you seem to assume. I get high too Mitchell. I don't care if you sell pot." she looked up at me stunned.

"You can be my bad girl Beca Mitchell." I whispered, resting my forehead against hers.

"You can be my Snowflake." She whispered back. "Do you uh, want to maybe come back to my place tonight? Don't feel obligated, if it's too fast for you, but the offer is there."

"I would have to stop at my place and get a few things, but I could stay the night. You aren't allowed to seduce me though." I winked.

That ocean blue flashed and I felt the warm feeling in my stomach that I had come to associate with those eyes. "Fine, I won't try anything. Truthfully, I just want to hold you tonight. If that's okay with you." she bit her lip nervously.

I blushed. Who was this girl? I couldn't believe this was the Beca Mitchell that everyone knew did too many drugs and fucked around with any girl she could get. This was a completely different girl. She was soft and sweet. Patient and gentle. Attentive. I felt like I was getting a glimpse of what no one else knew was there.

"Yeah Beca. That sounds really nice. Do you wanna get going though? It's kind of chilly out here."

She took my hand. We walked back to the dorms in that comfortable silence. She sat on my bed while I packed an overnight bag.

Beca headed off campus. It was only about a five minute ride to her place. She walked in, me on her heels.

"JESSE! You up?" she hollered.

Jesse walked out of a side room. He was smaller than I would have expected, but I had seen him with her before.

"I am now. Oh hey, I'm Jesse." he said as he noticed me. "You must be Chloe. Nice to meet you. Beca wasn't kidding. You are beautiful." he shook my hand.

I blushed. So did Beca.

"So Chloe, what is it about Beca here that has a beautiful girl like you out on a date?"

"It's mostly just the fact that she's Beca. I like her; she listens to me and has things to say. What's it about you that has you home alone on a Friday night?" I jabbed.

Beca laughed at Jesse so hard that she had to lean against the wall to stay up.

"Well played. I like her Beck, she's quick. I'm heading back to bed though. This face needs beauty rest. Good night ladies. Behave!" he went back into his room and closed the door.

"Do you, uh, wanna see my room? I mean, if you want to we can hang out in the living room but my room is comfier." I giggled as she rambled. She was nervous and it was adorable. "Look, I'm really out of my element. Usually when I bring a girl back they serve their purpose and leave. This is different; you're different. Everything about you. Everything."

"Different how? Like I'm not peeling my panties off after one date?" I snapped, feeling angry for some reason at the mention of other girls. Beca wasn't my girlfriend. I had no reason to be jealous.

"No like, I don't want you to be. No one before has done to me what you have." she reached for my hand. "You made me care. Did you know that I started going to that corner of the Quad waiting for the right time to come talk to you? I had a class with you last semester and the first time you spoke I knew I had to meet you. You're deadly smart. You're funny. People listen when you talk. They respect what you have to say. People either want me for pussy, money or weed. And as hip-hop and bad ass as that sounds, this DJ just wanted someone to care about. You became that for me because you all but demanded it from me."

"Beca, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to snap like that. I just… Didn't like hearing about the other girls. It made me jealous." I admitted.

"I don't think I'll ever notice another girl as long as you're around Snowflake." she smiled.

"I know I won't. Now." I yawned, "What was this about a comfy bed and cuddles?" she led me across the hall and into her room.

I changed and crawled into bed. A few minutes later, she joined me. Her arms wrapped around me and she buried her face in my hair. Our fingers entwined as she held my hand. This was perfection. Our breath became a slow pattern as we fell asleep.


	3. I Like The Rush

When I woke up the next morning, Beca wasn't there. The smell of bacon and coffee roused me out of bed. Jesse was sitting at the table reading a paper and Beca was in the kitchen. She was a sight to behold.

She was covered in flour. It was in her hair, on her clothes, on her face, everywhere. Jesse was laughing at her. "I'm sure she'd have liked eggs Beck."

"That's not the point Jess. I wanted to make her pancakes." she went to wipe of some of the batter by her ear and ended up smearing twice as much across her face. "Fuck sakes! Can you help me out Jesse? I'm struggling." Jesse sighed and got up.

He cleaned the batter off her face, finished mixing it together and started pouring it.

"Go shower Beca. She'll be up soon." I took this as my opportunity to walk out of the bedroom.

"Morning lovely. Coffee is on and Jesse's finishing breakfast. I'm going to grab a quick shower. Help yourself." she kissed me on the cheek and headed into the bathroom.

Jesse shook his head, still chuckling at her. "How much did you see?" he asked amused.

"Enough to know you're the cook in the duo." I laughed as I poured myself some coffee.

"I'm taking a culinary arts degree, so yes. Beca can make macaroni, eggs and toast. She can also barbeque a mean steak. Other than that, I'm the guy you want. She really did try though." he flipped the pancakes.

Ten minutes later, we were all eating breakfast at the table.

"So Beca, you have a gig tonight don't you? Do you need help with gear or anything?" Jesse asked across the table.

"Naw, but I'll need the truck tonight. You cool with taking the bike, or would you rather meet me there before and after and drive me?"

"Uh, Jesse can take my car for the night if he wants, I'd like to come see you play. If that's alright." I piped up.

Beca's face broke into that unfamiliar smile, and she leaned over and kissed my temple.

"Of course you can come. You can sit in the booth with me if you want to. Chloe, you can go anywhere you wanna go with me."

After breakfast we all cleaned up and Jesse took me back to my place to grab new clothes and so I could get him my car. On the way there he babbled a lot.

"Beca has these girls all over her when she plays. They all know she'll be famous one day and they all want a piece of it. She loves the attention, it fuels her I think. Lately though, ever since she started talking about you more, it just makes her sad. The only girl she's wanted to see after her show for the past couple months has been you. She doesn't take girls home anymore. She doesn't toy with them and backseat fuck em; she just wanted to see you. If she seems to be enjoying the attention again tonight, it's because she got it from you first. She cares about you Chloe, and Beca doesn't give a shit about anyone but herself."

"She cares about you though. That's something Jesse. I don't understand why you are telling me this. Am I supposed to be prepared to see something I don't like?" I asked starting to worry.

"I just think you will be jealous. She flirts a lot with these girls. It is her way of making sure they come to the next show. All for publicity, you know? She's never had a reason to not flirt with them, and it might take a couple tries before she's used to having you there. I guess I'm just warning you to be ready for that. And asking you to not be upset with her if that's what does happen, because she would never want to hurt you Chloe."

"I can try Jesse, but I think I've got it bad for her. She listens to me; she asks questions. She tells me things, she's honest. I don't think anyone has ever done all that. On top of that, she treats me like a princess. Like I am the only person she sees. I think that's fantastic, and it's something I always wanted in someone. It might infuriate me to see another girl pulling on her hand. I know Beca doesn't mean anything by it, but they all do." I answered him honestly.

"I'm just saying; remember she's there with you. When you want to go, she'll leave. Just don't freak out when the fans come rushing." he said.

I grabbed my stuff and drove my car back to Beca and Jesse's. I laid in bed and watched movies, while Beca finalized her set. It was kind of beautiful to watch her work.

Around five, Beca took off her headphones and rested her head on my chest.

"I could get used to this dynamic. You make things easy. Even my music clicks better when you're here. I think tonight's set may be my best one yet. You're my muse. You have been for a while now; you just didn't know it."

I blushed. Thank god she couldn't see me. "You wanna take me for a ride bad girl?" I asked her.

"If you want to go for a ride, I'll take you. I thought you didn't like my deathrap though." she teased.

"Maybe I lied. I like the rush."

_**Guys please give me some reviews to go off of! Thank you for following and reading Ocean Blue!**_


	4. Selfish

Beca was obviously amazing at what she did. People were lined up out the door to see her play.

When she took the stage the whole nightclub roared. She put on her headphones and her tagline rang across the building.

"DJ Beck, the finest DJ in town. Lock up your ladies, cause she's bringing the heat." and she started her first mix.

Watching her work astounded me. The passion and energy she poured into her music was like nothing I had ever seen before. She would look at me, wink, and would scratch a record, drop a beat and all the girls would freak out.

Jesse had been right. They were all over her when the set ended. They were offering to buy her drinks, asking her to come home with them, touching her… It was sickening, and Beca loved it. Every second of it she was soaking up. When she was done talking to one girl, another would take her place. By two in the morning I was wasted, and so was she. I was done being jealous. I grabbed her hand and dragged her out of the bar. When we were outside she spun me around and looked in my eyes, trying to read past the glazed state they were in. That dangerous ocean blue flashed, and I knew I wouldn't be mad for long.

"Take me home bad girl. I want you in my bed tonight, doing all kinds of dirty things to me. Now."

"Slow down Chloe. What's going on? You know it's not like I don't want you, but not like this. Can we walk for a bit and talk? I don't like this on you." she was still holding my hand.

"Yeah, okay. I guess that sounds like a good idea." we started heading in the direction of home.

"What got into you back there Chloe? It kind of scared me a little bit. If we're being honest." she chuckled a bit.

"I hated seeing all those girls touching you, flirting with you, buying you drinks, and trying to talk their way into your pants. It killed me. What was worse was, you just let them. Not once did you say 'Sorry but I'm here with someone.' I mean I get that I'm not your girlfriend or anything but still, you could have tried." I was sort of yelling at this point.

"Chloe, I'm sorry. Those girls meant nothing to me Chlo, and you mean everything. There will always be groupies, but I'd never do anything to hurt you. I can't afford to fuck this up. I really like you. Believe me when I say that." there were tears in her eyes.

"I believe you Beca. You don't owe me anything though. You're not my girlfriend; if you wanted to take home some bar skank-" she kissed me.

If I could, I would hold that exact moment in time for the rest of my life. Kissing Beca was like having a cold beer after a hot days work in the sun. It just felt perfect. Her soft lips pressed against mine, the way she pressed in for more so hungrily, I never wanted to let that go. When she pulled back she was crying.

"I want to owe you things. I want you to know that you are the ONLY person I ever want to go home with. You're with me now, and no girl is ever going to come close to you. Don't say things like that Chloe. You're more than I'll ever deserve. You're perfect."

She took my hand and we kept walking.

Beca and I spent all night walking around Seattle. She'd brought a bunch of joints with her and we just walked around, smoking them. At one point she bought a bottle of whiskey and we'd shared that too. We talked about childhood hopes and dreams, to urban legends, to past relationships. Eventually the conversation naturally drifted towards sex.

"So… Word on the street is Beca Mitchell is a player." I laughed as we climbed up on top of a statue and Beca lit a joint.

"Word on the street is true. I used to be anyways. Until about a year ago, then it started to get harder and harder." she passed me the joint.

"Why so hard? Did you get erectile dysfunction?" I snorted at my own joke. _Smooth Beale. _

"Nope, I met you. Kinda. I guess really I more or less saw you. It was the first presentation of the year and you were up there with that annoying Australian chick that is always following you around." I glared at her. She knew Amy was a friend of mine. "Sorry, Amy." she apologized. "Anyways, you started talking about Bonnie and Clyde and the biography you read. You were talking about how devoted she must have been to love a criminal, and how as long as she loved him it wouldn't matter what he was doing to make ends meet. It was beautiful, every last word you said was amazing. From that moment on I kept working up courage to try and talk to you, but I was scared. I started bringing home red heads all the time, cause then if I pictured your face, it didn't feel so wrong. Eventually it just felt wrong no matter what. I stopped hooking up altogether. Then, I started going over to the spot on the Quad where you go to read. Finally I managed to talk to you. It took me a year, but I did It." she took a long drink from the whiskey and hauled on the joint. "What about you Snowflake? You ever done the hook up thing?"

"Once, yeah. Right after I moved to Seattle. My girlfriend at the time was living back home in Carolina and she accidentally sent me a long message saying how she was planning to break up with me when I came home for Thanksgiving and that she wanted to be with some girl named Tricia and how she had been done with me for months, she just didn't have the heart to tell me. I was pissed so I went out partying and I wound up making out with this girl… Uh, Stacie? I've seen her with you before actually. Anyways, one thing led to another and Stacie had me upstairs in bed. I woke up the next morning and I had officially done the one night stand thing. I even left at like six in the morning and did the walk of shame back to my dorm." I finished off the whiskey and pouted as I let the bottle smash on the ground.

"We're about twenty minutes from my place, and I've got one last joint rolled. Wanna walk back with me? Get some shut eye, and I'll take you for breakfast tomorrow?" I nodded.

"Tonight's been amazing Beca. I'm sorry I got so mad at you before. That's not like me. I guess, I just want to be selfish with you." I admitted.

"Be selfish. I want you to be selfish with me. Cause I plan on being selfish with you Chloe Beale." she laced our fingers together, and we started walking towards the rising sun, and a warm cozy bed.

_**PLEASE REVIEW! Thank you to those of you who have been, you know who you are and I appreciate it!**_


	5. Perfect

Two years down the road and Beca and I are still together. Not a lot changed about us either. I still get jealous at every show, and Beca has to reassure me. I live with her now; I was spending so much time there that it just made sense. I still swoon every time that ocean blue flashes and when she kisses me, I always have to catch my breath. Jesse was a full time chef, and he still lived in the other bedroom.

Beca and I both graduate next week. I got my Bachelors Degree in Psychology and Beca finally finished her Masters in Music Production and Technology. After leaving me at home for a couple weeks during my finals, Beca had been scouted for a job. Universal Records was hiring her as a producer. They even had a project that they were anxious to have her on. After many weeks of waiting, I finally got a letter from UCLA accepting me into the Masters Program for Psychology.

I woke up, and Beca was running around cleaning. She had put away all the bongs, aired the place out and scrubbed the kitchen spotless.

"Morning love. Get ready. Your parents fly in today. We have to leave in an hour." she pecked me on the cheek and handed me a coffee.

"Today? I thought it was tomorrow." Beca shook her head and pointed at the calendar. Sure enough, the date was marked for today.

"Fuck!" I jumped in the shower and a couple of minutes later, Beca joined me. She started soaping my back and when she spoke, it was nervous.

"Do you think they'll like me Chloe? I don't know how to behave; I haven't had parents since I was eleven. I just want them to know I love you, and I'm not going to fuck you up."

I turned around and looked her in the eyes, which is a near impossible task without getting overly nervous and giddy, and spoke very seriously to her.

"Does it matter Beca? I love you so much, and that's not going to change regardless of what they say. You make me so happy Beck and if that's not enough for them, they aren't worth worrying about." she blinked back tears, but didn't say a single word.

We finished showering and got ready. Beca had a mini meltdown when she was trying to pick an outfit but once we were past that, we flew out the door. We got in the car and both of us smoked for almost the whole ride to the airport.

My parents were already waiting when we walked in. My mom wrapped me in her arms and Beca shook hands with my dad and took his bags.

"Mom, Dad, this is Beca." I announced presenting her officially for the first time.

"It's wonderful to finally meet you. Chloe's told us so much about you. Two years you've been together right?" Beca nodded. "Wow. Thank you Beca, for taking such good care of my princess. I want you to know I appreciate it. I sleep better at night knowing Chloe's not all alone out here." My mom said to her, pulling her into a hug.

"Let's go. I hate airports; I need a drink." My dad spoke up.

"Chloe, baby, why don't you drop me and your dad off at the hotel and take your mom to our place? I'll buy him a round and help get the luggage upstairs." she suggested.

"Sounds like a decent plan. Is everyone okay with that?" my parents nodded. "Is Jesse home?"

"Nope, he's working today. He's also aware we have visitors. No worries sweetheart." she kissed me and climbed in the backseat with my mother.

When I showed my mom the apartment she was astounded. Especially Jesse's kitchen, which really impressed her.

"What a beautiful kitchen Chlo. Does Beca cook lots?"

"No, her foster brother Jesse lives with us. He's a chef. Actually, I think he's cooking dinner tonight for everyone. Jesse's awesome mom. He's the only family Beca's got. They've really taken care of each other."

"Where are her parents?" she asked cautiously.

"They died in a car accident. That's when she met Jesse. They have been inseparable ever since."

"It is nice they found each other. He does sound like a solid guy. I can't wait to meet him."

I showed her our neighborhood a bit and we ended up walking in the direction of campus. I showed my mom my old dorm building, and where Beca asked me out that very first day. I showed her where all my favorite classes had been. The spot in the library, where Beca and I had spent endless hours working on homework. We got a coffee and sat down.

"Chloe, I'm proud of you. You finished your Bachelors, and got into the Masters course you wanted to. This happiness you and Beca have found in each other is something pretty special too. All amazing things. You're an accomplished young lady, and that's all I ever wanted for you." she smiled as she sipped her coffee.

"Thanks Mom. I really am happy; Beca and I have a really good balance in our lives. Any doubts I've ever had have been gone as soon as we talk about them. She doesn't like falling asleep mad either, so we work hard at keeping the peace. She is home every night, and if she's working away, she calls and we fall asleep on the phone together. I love her Mom, a lot. I could see us getting married some day. We talk about it frequently. We just want to wait til the time is right. There's lots of things happening right now and we are just waiting for that to settle down first." my phone went off.

"Yeah? Okay, be there in fifteen babe. I love you too." I hung up. "Let's go get Beca and Dad." I said to my mom and we walked back to the car.

When I got there I could see the telltale blush on Beca's face saying she was a bit drunk. So was my dad.

"She's a good one Chloe. Keep her around." he said as they climbed in the back of my car.

"We gotta pick up Jesse too. His tires got slashed." Beca stated from the backseat.

I lit a smoke and rolled down the window. My mom's jaw dropped.

"Sorry Mom. I know it's bad for you and shit, but yeah, I've been smoking." I apologized.

Jesse was waiting for us outside. He squeezed in the back with Beca and my father, and introduced himself.

Jesse's steaks were delicious. We were all sitting at the table having drinks and finishing off supper when Beca stood up.

"While everyone is here, it feels like the right time to finally ask this question." she got down on one knee and my heart started pounding in my throat. "Chloe, I love you so much. These last two years have been the happiest in my life. Everyday we wake up together, you give me a hundred new reasons to smile. You make the stars come out at night and the sun rise every morning in my world. I guess what I'm working my way towards is this. Chloe Beale, will you be my beautiful bride and keep me smiling from now until the day I die?" she opened a box and revealed a simple but gorgeous diamond ring. "It was my mother's. It was one of the only things they managed to salvage from the car."

"I, uh… I… Of course I will." I finally answered, scrambling for the words.

She slid the ring onto my finger.

Jesse went to the kitchen and came back with shots for everyone. My mom was bawling, and I couldn't tell but I think she was cutting off Beca's air supply.

Jesse raised his glass. "To Chloe and Beca. Many years guys. we all drank our shots.

Jesse offered to drive my parents back to their hotel, and Beca and I turned in early. Tomorrow was the official graduation ceremony. Beca laid her head down on my chest.

"I love you Chloe. Thank you for saying yes. When I talked to your dad about it today, he told me if I hadn't asked you after two years, that I seriously needed to think about where we were going. I knew it was time. I saw you laughing and smiling today and we were surrounded by people we love… It felt right. Perfect." she sighed and her breathing evened out as she fell asleep.

**_Review please! Travelling for a couple days, but Sunday night will have a new chapter and a songfic oneshot!_**


	6. The Bad Times

I suppose I can't just relieve all the good times in our history. Beca and I had definitely been down dark roads. The thing was, we never really felt it was necessary to mention them to anyone else and no one was ever around to see them.

The worst day in our relationship happened shortly after I'd moved in. I had just finished a midterm and Beca had suggested I stay home and catch up on some much needed sleep. It wasn't an unusual thing; she often noticed my needs before I did. So I agreed. I told her I'd take a nap and wait up for her.

Around two I knew the set was over so I decided I would go to the club and pick her up. I pulled up as Beca walked out. I was just about to call her when I noticed a girl come out. She grabbed Beca's hand and whispered something in her ear. Beca nodded and they both moved closer and they kissed. When they pulled away that ocean blue locked with mine, and widened.

I left without her. She walked in about five minutes after I had slammed the door. Jesse recognizing a fight brewing took off and hid in his room.

"Are you even going to bother trying to explain that? And don't even bother telling me that she kissed you because I saw the whole fucking thing Beca. What did she ask you when you said yes to her? Planning on sleeping in another bed tonight Beca? Or just fucking her and then coming home and kissing me?" I yelled at her, refusing to let the tears burning my eyes fall out.

"Chloe, please calm down. I'm sorry. It was… Exactly what you saw. I fucked up. I'm not even going to bother trying to explain it away. Her and I used to have a thing, purely sexual. I guess when I saw her… I fell into old habits. I was drunk and I messed up. Baby, I'm so sorry." she wasn't hiding her tears like I was.

"Look, I gotta cool down Beca. I'm going to Amy's for the night. Maybe we can talk tomorrow. Tonight though, I can't even look at you." I spat out.

I turned to leave and she grabbed my arm. Big mistake. I turned around and shoved her against the brick wall of our apartment.

"You don't fucking touch me." I yelled at her.

That set her off. She came back at me with an angry punch to the face. I felt my nose break and tasted blood. I brought my knee up to her stomach and we fell to the ground. A loud crack filled the hallway as I landed on her wrist. It didn't stop there though. She got up and kicked the flower stand towards me. I covered my head as the small table connected with my back. I launched back at her, trying to hit, kick or scratch any part of her I could.

Jesse had wised up to what was going on in his apartment and came out. He pulled us apart and put us on separate couches. We both sat there just catching our breath. Beca was clutching her wrist.

"Jesus fucking Christ you two. What in the hell is going on? I mean, shit guys, you wanna fight then fight. Yell and scream til your voice stops working if you so choose, break shit, smoke a joint, take a walk. Do anything. But I will not let you kick the shit out of each other. I can't. Look at the state of you. Beca that's definitely broken and Chloe's nose looks like it too. I am going to get my phone. My friend is a third year doctorate student. He'll come check this stuff out, fix you up and keep it quiet. Can you two be civil while I grab it? I nodded.

Beca went to the freezer and got two icepacks. She wrapped and old dishtowel around one and brought it to me. She sat down beside me and we shared a joint. She leaned over and whispered in my ear.

"Never again baby. I'm so sorry. Never again. Okay?"

"Never." I agreed.

We still fought, often. She was always working and that started fights. I spent too much of her time off doing homework, and that started fights. I wanted to get a job and help out. Beca was stubborn and refused to let me. That always started a fight. We never got violent again though. Beca made sure of it. Anytime she saw me escalate, she left and let me cool off. When I was calm again I'd call her and she'd come home.

Another bad one was the day we finally decided to back off with the blow.

Beca had introduced me to cocaine shortly after we got together. I enjoyed it. Problem was, I enjoyed it too much. I spent all of our summer break ripped. Beca was even a bit worried about me. One night, I was at one of Beca's shows and I was doing lines off her laptop. I did like four back to back, after spending the last four hours getting to the level I was already at. I could feel my heart pounding like a drum roll. Then all of the sudden the room went silent and black.

I woke up to the sound of a heart monitor beeping in the distance. When I opened my eyes, Jesse and Beca were sitting in the room both asleep. When she heard the bed stir, Beca's eyes opened. The first thing I saw was that ocean blue. I tried sitting up.

"Shh babe. Just lay still for a while. You overdosed. It's okay. You're going to be fine. We just got to stop for a while Chlo. We took it too far and now we have to rewind and try this different. Okay? Jesse and I are both in on it with you." she whispered trying not to wake up Jesse.

I agreed. We weren't perfect by any means, but we tried. Desperately we tried.

Beca and I had a rule we liked to go by. We never went to bed angry with the other. The day we did that would be the day that ruined us. There were times we would stay up until three in the morning trying to work out a problem. We always did. Beca and I had always managed to piece our broken things back together and neither of us had been prepared for that.

_**REVIEW PLEASE. WHERE WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE THINGS GO WITH THE TWO ENGAGED BEAUTIES?**_


	7. California Love

The days after graduation sailed by. My parents went back home, and Beca and I were packing the last of our stuff. We had all new furniture so we were able to fit everything in a U-Haul trailer which Jesse pulled behind his truck. I had sold my car. Beca and I were going to ride the bike to Los Angeles. I was thrilled.

LA was beautiful. Huge. I had never seen anything like it and now it was my home. I had never been to the ocean, so before we went to the apartment we went to the beach. The three of us played like little kids for hours and, at the first touch of that ocean water, I found the happiest moment of my life. To be somewhere so beautiful, with the love of my life was something I had never pictured. Now though, I couldn't picture anything else.

After we left the beach, we went to the apartment. It was enormous. Beca had bought it after she was offered the job at Universal and had inspected it thoroughly while I was sitting exams. She'd gotten Jesse his dream kitchen. She had a studio/office room for her equipment and me to do my schoolwork on when I went back.

"Beca, it's beautiful." I whispered.

"There's more angel, Come see." I followed her up a staircase off our living room.

There was a beautiful garden up there. There was also a Jacuzzi and a couch. But what really made it stand out was the view. It was breathtaking. I was staring over the city as the sun set over the ocean. The colors fading into the darkness as city lights took its place.

"I want to say our vows up here. It's beautiful, like you. It's private, like me. It's completely ours." she kissed me, and I couldn't help but moan into the kiss. I was so in love with her right now.

That night, we made love under the stars. She had planned it, having Jesse bring up champagne and chocolate covered strawberries. She made it a romantic affair. We stayed up until sunrise and then she carried my exhausted, marked and highly worshipped body to bed.

"I love you Chloe Beale." she yawned as she cuddled in beside me.

"I love you Beca Mitchell." I whispered back, We shared one last kiss, and then surrendered to sleep.

At around noon, Jesse came into the room.

"Beca, you have a phone call. It's you're boss I think." she snatched the phone from him.

"Hello? This is Beca. When? Today? At two? Yeah I can make it. No worries. I'll see you then, thank you." she clicked the phone off.

"What's up babe?" I yawned, sitting up.

"I have to go to work. My artist flew in early I guess and they want to get a head start since he's in town anyways." she lit a smoke and passed it to me.

"That's good for you though. I know you're anxious to get in there. It's all you have been talking about." I passed the smoke back.

"I guess. I was just looking forward to our plans today. I'm sorry we had to cancel sweetheart. Another time, okay?" she genuinely looked sad about it.

"Yeah baby. Another time. I love you Beca. I am so proud of you, and you need to hear that, you know?" I tried changing the topic, or at least the view of it.

"Thank you Chloe. I'm going to get in the shower. I don't wanna look like I crawled out of an orgy and went to work." I laughed at that.

When I got out of bed to make breakfast and roll Beca's morning joint, I noticed a little blonde thing sitting on a stool in the kitchen.

"Hi. I'm Aubrey." she introduced herself.

"Chloe. I'm sorry, but why are you in my kitchen?" I asked, putting a pan on the stove to heat up.

"I spent the night with Jesse. He said it would be okay." she blushed.

"It is more than okay. I assume he fed you?" I asked as I started cracking eggs into a bowl.

"Yeah, he made a delicious breakfast. He really is a sweet guy. Is he your brother?" she pried.

"In-law of sorts I guess. He's my fiancée's foster brother. He sure is a sweetheart though." I was beginning to get weird vibes from this girl.

I cooked my eggs, and rolled a joint. Beca loved to get high while we ate breakfast. By the time she had finished getting ready, we were at the table smoking the joint and feeding each other eggs.

Jesse took Aubrey home. When she realized my fiancée was Beca she got a bit weird and wouldn't talk to us or even sit in the room. Jesse apologized profusely for his lack of judgment, but Beca just laughed at his apology.

"Just make sure to wash the intolerance off of you! Oh, and if she gets pregnant, teach the kid some human respect!" she yelled as he led Aubrey out of the loft.

Being from the Midwest I understood intolerance. Beca had a hard time with that. She was very much a believer that if a person was as good as they could be, and fell in love with someone who loved them back… That's what mattered. To her love knew no gender roles or boundaries. Love was meant to be spontaneous. She couldn't get right with the fact that it mattered to people what she was doing when the covers were up and the lights were down.

"People like that make me sick. I bet if I were black, she would have reacted the same. Fuck! Since when does what I do in bed anyone's business but mine? Bitch." I got up and stood behind her. I kissed her neck. She shivered and all the tension was gone.

"I happen to love what you do in bed. You always make me happy. Don't let her get to you Beca. It's her problem. To me you are perfection." she turned and I filled the space between us quickly.

Sometimes Beca kissed angrily. The type of kiss where teeth were involved and where your lips got swollen. "I love you." she growled as she resumed her hasty abuse of my lips. I lost twenty minutes in that kiss. She glanced at the clock.

"Shit, baby, I have to leave. I'll call later, and I love you sweetheart." she pecked me on the lips once more and ran out the door.

Jesse texted me to grab the stash and meet him downstairs so I did.

"Where are we going Jess?" I asked climbing into the truck.

"Sightseeing. I know you and Beck were supposed to go, but I figured since she had to work, I could take you if you want to go?" he'd even gotten a disposable camera.

"Yeah let's do it. Looking at my wall today was not a good plan, so I'm up for this."

We went all over the place and had an incredible day. He took me to Mulholland Drive, which despite the infamy of the name is just a street. He took me to the Hollywood sign, the Walk of Fame, Disney Concert Hall and for my father, Dodgers Stadium. When we got home Beca was passed out in her office chair. It was close to midnight. I shook her awake.

"Let's go to bed baby. It's late." I reasoned, knowing in my heart it was futile.

"I just wanna finish the bridge. I've almost got it, I just have a few minor tweaks. I got to have this single ready by tomorrow afternoon. Want to stay up a bit?" I shook my head.

"It's been a long couple days bad girl. I'm going to bed. Sorry. Be in soon okay?"

"Okay, I love you Chloe."

"You too." I yawned and I went to bed.

Beca crawled in around four. I know because she woke me up to do so. I was not happy. I knew this job would test my patience, I was ready for that. I didn't lie how it took her whole time away from me. That scared the daylights out of me.

I decided she needed to know how I felt about it. Before it became an issue.

_**hey fans. just want you to know that the next chapter is going to be a couple days... but it will be a u turn chapter. happiest longest chapter in the story so far. well worth the wait. **_


	8. It's A Family Thing

When I woke up the next morning, Beca was passed out in her clothes from the day before. I got up to make coffee, and went up to the terrace to have a smoke with Jesse.

"Morning Chlo. What time did Beca make it to bed last night?"

"Four in the morning. This blows. I don't like this job. I can already tell I am going to miss her." Jesse chuckled as I whined.

"Remind her you still need her attention. Beca gets so wrapped up in her head that she doesn't see past the bridge of her nose sometimes. You know she loves you baby girl. Never doubt that." I nodded.

I went downstairs and shook Beca awake.

"Do you have to go to work today?" she nodded. "When?"

"For one. I'm sorry for coming to bed so late babe. I finished the song. Hey, let me take you out for dinner tonight. Old school, no phones. I'll be all yours tonight Chloe." she sat up a bit and kissed me.

"Yeah definitely. Do you want to get up? Or do you want to sleep for a little more?"

"Like, one more hour would be heavenly. I'll get up soon Angel. I love you. So much." she laid back down and fell asleep.

I went and took a shower. When I got out, Beca was already up. She looked upset.

"Chloe, I swear to you… I'd never let my job get in the way of us. Never. I love you more than I knew I could love anything. I promise no more all nighters. I'll work til midnight at the latest. I'll always come to bed with you. Okay?"

"Yeah baby, sounds phenomenal. I didn't think Jesse was going to talk to you. I was just venting this morning." Beca grinned.

"He thinks you're the best thing that'll ever happen to me. He told me if I fuck this up over a job, he'll personally slit my throat. However, I have big news for you tonight. I'll pick you up at say, seven?" I agreed and she looked at the clock. "Shit, I have to go babe. Be ready for seven. I love you Chloe, forever and for always." she kissed me, and left for work.

Beca pulled up to the sidewalk at seven on the nose. When we got to the restaurant, her old friend Luke was there. Luke had been a few years ahead of Beca in the courses they were taking, and had been the guy who shopped her around LA ultimately getting her a job with him. I stopped her.

"I know you said old school, but I didn't think that meant having the old gang along." I whispered.

"It's just for one drink, he's going to pitch something to you." she reasoned. I relented.

"Chloe! Long time, no see. How have you been gorgeous? Still beating them off with sticks?" Luke always had been a charmer. What with the British accent and his striking eyes, what straight girl wouldn't want him?

"Excellent. I hear you have a pitch for me?" I sat down.

"Yeah. Well, the thing is, my fifteen year old idiot sister got pregnant. She doesn't want to keep it, but she doesn't want her kid being a 'system kid' either. So I got to thinking, that you and Beca would be perfect. You guys are stable, have a good home life, a positive male influence with Jess around. I can give you some time to think about it but I need an answer by next week, or we need to start paperwork with the government. She's due to give birth in three months"

It hit me like a wall. Beca and I had always left that door locked. Kids were something we both wanted, but we had yet to have a real conversation about it. Now she was ambushing me.

"I figure you can defer for a year, they grant that for maternity or in this case parental leave. I stay working and in a year's time we find a good daycare for him." It was a boy. God, I wanted him so badly. I could see Beca did too; she already had plans for him and everything.

"Give us a night? I guarantee we will know by tomorrow. Thank you Luke." he kissed my cheek and nodded at Beca. Then he left.

"What do you think?" Beca wasted no time diving in.

"I think there's never going to be a chance like this again. I think that if something is knocking on your front door and you aren't sure if it's good, you should open it and see. I think I already love him and he's not even ours." I said. Beca started crying.

"Sweetheart, what's wrong?" I asked sliding my chair closer to hers.

"I'm just… Happy. We're going to be a family." she wiped her eyes. "This is the first time I'll have that. At least as far back as me being eleven."

We spent the evening talking about how we were going to do this. By the time we left supper, Beca was calling Luke with our answer.

"I want to go dancing Beck, to celebrate. Please?" Beca hated the dancing part of going out. She drank, she spun records, she was phenomenal at finding anyone to talk to but she did not like to dance. I did, and she always came with me.

"Yeah, okay. I heard about this really good place down the road actually. The house system is supposed to be fantastic." I rolled my eyes. "I just want to take a look. Okay? Five minutes. When we get there you get drinks, I'll pop over and check out the set up and then come find you."

The club was packed. Beca set off in the direction of the booth and I went and ordered us drinks. I turned around and was planning on heading in her direction when some guy twice the size of me crashed in to me and knocked both drinks to the ground.

"Let me replace those." he offered. "I feel bad." I agreed and we turned around to the bar again.

When the drinks were safely in my hands again he started talking.

"So what's a beautiful girl like you doing alone in a place like this? Can I ask you for a dance?"

"I'm actually engaged. Sorry. Thank you for the drinks and I hope someone dances with you. I'm going-" he grabbed my arm and pulled me in.

"The only place you're going is with me, Red." I tried to push him off of me, but he was too big.

I couldn't believe no one was doing anything. Thankfully Beca had seen what was happening. She was over to us in record time. Though she was even smaller than I was, she wrestled the man off me. She pinned him down and proceeded to punch him repeatedly in the face. When the bouncers got her off, she spit on him.

"Don't you ever touch my girl again. Or next time t won't be your nose pouring blood. You filthy fucking pig." the bouncer dragged her out.

When I finally pushed my way out to her, she ran over to me. I folded easily into her arms.

"Chloe, babe, are you okay? He didn't hurt you did he? I tried to get there faster but there were so many people. I'm so sorry. I should have never left you there. Let's get you home." I nodded and let her lead me to the bike.

When we got to the apartment I stopped Beca before we walked in.

"What's wrong sweetheart?" she asked searching my eyes for some sort of hint.

"Don't tell Jesse, okay?" she looked at me confused. "It's over. Nothing else can be done about it. He would get all worked up, and frankly there's no reason to."

"Sorry babe, I already kind of texted him and briefly explained. He's going to want to know the whole story. I didn't realize you were going to want him to not know." she looked at me, genuinely sorry.

I opened the door, and Jesse's arms were around me before I had a chance to put my key down.

"Beca, what happened?" he asked with a hollow tone in his voice that I didn't recognize or care for. It scared me.

"Ask her. I just ended it. I was a fucking failure tonight." she really was beating herself up over this. It killed me.

"She was a hero tonight. This guy, about twice my size, knocked my drinks down by 'accident'. He was super friendly and he offered to replace them. I let him. He tried asking me to dance and I told him I was engaged. When I tried to leave he grabbed me and tried to pull me out of the bar. Beca caught on and intervened. She rescued me."

"Beca, do you remember what he looked like?" Jesse directed his question to her. She nodded. "Let's go. This loser's not walking around out there after tonight." that hollow tone was still evident in his speech.

"Jesse… We can't. I beat the living shit out of him already. Chloe just wants it over with. Okay? Plus we have to get up early tomorrow. We have a nursery to design." Jesse's jaw dropped.

"Luke's sister? Wow Beck. Congrats you guys! I'm so excited for this. Have you picked out names yet?" I cut in.

"Caellum for the first name. It's a family thing. David for the middle. It's-" this time Jesse cut me off.

"Beca's father's name. I know. Caellum David Mitchell huh? That's awesome you guys. When does the miracle happen?"

"Three months." Beca answered.

"Let's get cracking then." he rubbed his hands together.

The next three months were chaotic. Beca was doing a lot of work from home, which was nearly impossible for her. Given the fact that her office had been turned into a nursery, she fared well though. Jesse helped me with most of the decorating and designing of the room. That basically just meant he put the furniture together and moved it around as I saw fit. I was granted a year long deferral, and Beca finished cutting the album so she was able to ask for a couple months off.

My mom was planning to fly out the day prior to the scheduled due date. She wanted to help get him settled and make sure we knew how to handle it. Beca and I were just getting in the car to pick her up when Beca's phone rang. It was Luke. She put it on speaker.

"Get down here! It's happening!" he hung up again.

Beca was going to go in, that was predetermined. She tossed me the car keys and grabbed her helmet.

"Meet you there? I love you be safe." she kicked off and peeled away.

Getting from my house to the airport and then to the hospital was a giant blur to me. I just remember getting to the waiting room and Luke running over to me.

"He's here Chloe. You're a mom now. Go meet him. He's with Beca in room 3109."

_**Sorry for the wait guys. This was tricky to write. Hope you enjoy the latest instalment. Posting an adult BeChloe soon that involves a few sit ups and some passionately despised cardio. **_


	9. Gravity

When I walked into the room, Beca was sitting with him in her arms. She was babbling and cooing at him. Beca Mitchell, cooing. She stood up and handed him to me. I swear to God, I could feel my life change. All the sudden, everything was about this little boy in my arms.

"Hi Caellum. Hi! I'm Mama Chloe. You sure are a handsome little man, aren't you?"

We spent most of the day in that hospital room with him. Once the two of us felt comfortable enough with him, my mom and Jesse came back to meet him. Jesse was more careful with him than I knew was ever possible for Jesse.

My favorite thing to watch though, was Beca. Every time someone would move with him, or transfer him to someone else... Beca was right there watching, assisting, protecting. I had thought my life changed, but everything about Beca was hypersensitive now. When he coughed she grabbed him and checked on him, if he burped she had a receiving blanket ready.

After around eight at night, Beca was rocking him to sleep when the doctor came in.

"We've been monitoring him all day. I highly doubt there's anything here that he needs that you can't provide for him at home. He's healthy and his vitals are clear. If I can have Miss Mitchell? Just need a couple autographs for the discharge." Beca handed Caellum to me and went with the doctor.

After checking the car seat about seventeen times, and asking the nurses to make sure, Beca strapped Caellum in. Jesse rode in the back with him and Beca took her bike. I was never a nervous driver, but now all the sudden I was terrified. Anything could come out and hurt my baby boy. I drove at least ten under the speed limit the entire way home and Beca followed me to make sure nothing happened.

When we got him upstairs, Beca laid him in the cradle in our room and pulled out the foldaway couch/bed for my mom. She mumbled something to me about needing a bowl or two.

"Hey ma? Can you keep an eye on Caellum for a few? Beca and I just really need to have a smoke and frankly, Jesse will probably follow us." my mom just beamed.

"What are Grandmas for? Take like twenty minutes, go talk. This has been a huge day for you guys, separately and as a couple. Just be with each other for a minute. If he fusses I'll get him. Okay?" I hugged her and whispered a thank you.

We went up to the terrace and Beca grabbed her favorite bong. After a couple hoots each, she snuggled in and kissed my cheek.

"We're moms now Chlo, can you fucking believe that? I just know that I was scared, until that baby was put in my arms. Then everything seemed really clear to me. Caellum matters. Above everything that could matter, there's my fiancee and my son. I would do anything for you guys." she lit a smoke.

"It's kind of like gravity is holding you to him, you know? Like even if you wanted to let go, or walk away from him it would be impossible. He's a part of you now and nothing you can do will ever change that. It feels like something is a bit more complete because he's here." I said and she nodded, passing me the cigarette.

Jesse came up and sat down with us.

"I'm really happy for you guys. He's amazing. And he's so lucky to have you guys as parents. Don't stress about doing it the "right way" because as far as I'm concerned, you guys will do it right your way. The fact that he has two beautiful mothers who love him like he's the only thing on the planet, is more than he will ever need. Remember that okay?" I wiped away tears.

"Don't forget his bitching uncle Jesse, who's going to need to show him all the man stuff, like fixing cars and getting girls!" Beca piped up, laughing.

"Pssh. You always brought home more girls than I did. Then you found this one. Two and a half years later and I'm still behind." he pouted

"I didn't find Chloe, Chloe found me. She stole my heart, and never let it go." Jesse made gagging sounds.

We all stayed up there and smoked another bowl. When we went downstairs, my mom had fallen asleep cradling the baby monitor. Beca turned it off and we went into our bedroom. Beca woke him up to give him some formula, then let me rock him back to sleep. Once he was down, we went to bed too. About an hour later we woke up to him screaming.

"I got it." Beca croaked, climbing out of bed. She changed him, fed him and put him to sleep in his cradle. As she crawled into bed he woke up again. This time I peeled off the blankets and picked up our screaming son.

So was the pattern until about five in the morning. Beca finally managed to get him to sleep. For three beautiful hours, there wasn't a sound in the loft except breathing. At eight he screeched again.

My mom came into the room. "Go back to sleep girls. I've got him." Beca was determined to get up one last time though.

"Momma Beale I got this. You go back to sleep. He must have kept you up all night." she yawned to my mom.

"Beca, really, I slept just fine. You look exhausted though. Please, get a couple hours more sleep. I'm more than happy to get up with him for a bit. It'll give us some bonding time." Beca conceded the battle. Good thing too, cause she was barely standing. She laid back down. We passed out in about fifteen seconds.

Around eleven, Beca shook me awake. "Get up gorgeous. I made you breakfast. Also your mom's going to show us about the bathing of our child and how to do it right." I reluctantly got up.

After pounding back some bacon and eggs, and smoking a quick cigarette with Beca, we gathered in the bathroom with my mom. She showed us how to sit him in the bath, the water temperature, how to wash him... It was a process. I was almost considering never doing it, and making that a Beca job, when I saw the smile on his face. That gravity feeling came back, and suddenly I couldn't wait to be in charge of it.

Beca impressed me so much with him. I had kind of expected her to take a backseat , 'I make the money, you raise the child' kind of approach; but she was very into being a mom. She diapered, fed, bathed, and got up with him twice as much as I did.

After two months, Caellum needed his first immunization. So the two of us loaded him into the car and Beca drove. We had Beca's latest playlist playing and Caellum was babbling in the back.

"See hun? He's going to be a musician like you! He loves listening to this stuff!" I teased her.

"Maybe he's just going to talk lots, like his other mother." I playfully punched her arm. Apparently she wasn't expecting that though, because she swerved. Hard. I felt the car hit a guardrail, and everything went black.


	10. What Happened?

I woke up to the heart monitor beeping. I shook the grogginess off me and looked around. Beca was sitting in the chair beside me and she was rocking Caellum. He seemed bigger. Beca looked incredibly relieved to see me awake.

"Chloe, oh my god." she sat up, shifting Caellum in her arm.

"What happened Beck?" my voice was barely a whisper.

"Well I swerved and bumped the rail pretty hard. When I did your head cracked the window. You've been unconscious for three weeks. Everyone else was fine. Caellum stayed asleep the whole time." she reached over and handed him to me.

I cuddled him in my arms. Thanks to me, we could have lost him.

"Beca, I am so sorry. I was playing around, and I took it too far. My mistake could have cost us so much more." I started crying.

"But it didn't babe. I was playing too. I should have been more focussed on the road. Fact is, everyone is safe. We all made it through and it's going to be fine. We can't change that it happened, so let's take the lessons from it and move on."

The doctors kept me another week, just to make sure everything was working properly in my head. It was the longest week of my life. I hated hospitals. They smelled funny and I always correlated bad news to a hospital. Beca brought Caellum to me every day. He made it feel better. He was the only good thing that ever came from a hospital.

I was blown away by how strong he was getting. He could pull himself to a sitting position using just your hand for support. He was holding his own head up, and the grip he had was killer. We were sitting on the bed and he was 'jumping' for me, when the nurse came in.

"Our favorite patient is finally leaving us!" she said excitedly. "Chloe, you can go home today. Just promise you'll bring that boy around to visit us? He sure has brought some sunshine to a rather dreary ward." she handed me a couple papers. I signed them. "The doctor will be in in a moment to talk about your release."

When the doctor came in I passed Caellum to Beca and sat up to listen. He seemed very... Serious about it.

"Miss Beale, there's a few conditions of us letting you go that I need to go over. First, we would like to monitor your recovery. Fact of the matter is, you hit your head and we had to relieve the swelling. This can cause problems in the future. Second, I want you away from operating motor vehicles for at least another month. If something happens and you lose control, we can't afford another head injury. Third, you will be on medications for a while, and you need to make sure you take them on time. Does this sound manageable? If not you are more than welcome to stay here."

"I'll make sure she meets the conditions Doc. No problem. When do you need her back for an appointment?"

"A month from tomorrow." Beca typed it into her calendar.

When I got home, Jesse had made my favorite supper for me. I sat down at the table and Beca pushed a pile of five pills towards me.

"What are these even for? Did he explain any of it to you?" I asked her, feeling very nervous about the amount of medications I was on.

"Yeah, he did. These two blue ones are for pains and headaches, its Naproxen. The green one is Paxil, for PTSD. The white ones with the V in them is Valium. That's to prevent seizures. I know it looks like a lot babe, but it's temporary. Trust me." I nodded and downed the five pills. "You might feel sleepy babe. That's a lot of stuff in your body. I'll make the bed up. I'm really glad you're home Chloe." she kissed me softly.

Beca was right. I started getting tired pretty fast. She came over to the table and carried me to bed. She tucked me in and said she'd be back as soon as she got Caellum to bed. I fell asleep before she came back.

I woke up with a start. I'd had this nightmare in the hospital once before. In my dream I punched Beca and when she hit the guardrail the car flipped. And Caellum... He was gone. I started crying as the headache settled in. Beca leaned over to the nightstand and grabbed my meds. This time there was a red one.

"It should help you sleep Chlo. I know the dream is scary, but you need to sleep and rest. Try it?" I took my pills and laid back down.

The little red pill did nothing to help me sleep. I waited until I heard Beca's breathing even out, then I tiptoed to Caellum's room. I carefully lifted him from his crib, and laid back in the Lazy Boy rocker we'd gotten. Holding him in my arms calmed me down more than anything else and I found myself drifting to sleep with him.

.Around seven, Caellum started pulling on my ears. That was my wake up call. I easily fell back into the routine of warming his bottle, changing his diaper and getting him dressed for the day. When I was feeding him, Beca came out.

"I didn't feel you wake up this morning. How long have you been awake?" she asked worriedly.

"Just like fifteen minutes. The red pill didn't help, so I went to see Caellum. I fell asleep in the Lazy Boy. He woke me up." just then he giggled, like he knew what he had done.

"Okay, I'll get your medication ready." I rolled my eyes.

Things continued like that for a month. When we went back and saw my specialist, he figured I could stop taking the red sleeping pill and the Valium. He still wanted me taking the Paxil though. The dreams hadn't stopped. He continued to prescribe me the pain pills though, just in case. Things were looking up. I had been nervous that I would be on these pills forever. I was only on one now, and that one seemed to be the only thing that was helping me close my eyes at night.

Meanwhile, Beca had started making plans for our wedding. She had invites ready to go out, she just wanted to confirm the day. So one day, out on the terrace she brought it up.

"What day do you want to get married on love?" she passed me a joint.

"May 23 of course. That's the day you-"

"First asked you out. I figured. You always were kinda sappy Red."

"Only after I met you." I stuck my tongue out at her.

We both started laughing. We couldn't stop either. We laid back on the couch and just let go. There was something really therapeutic about it. Like, the past six months it had seemed like we'd forgotten what it felt like to have a good time. It was nice to know we still had that after everything.

Caellum was four and a half months old now. He was starting to crawl. The kid was in everything. We had to buy all these child locks and baby gates. One day he got under the sink where Jesse keeps all the cleaners. Thankfully Jesse got him before he got into any bottles, but it was enough of a scare that we took some precaution.

Jesse had bonded a lot with the little guy. He was always offering to hang out with him or begging to take him out. I think the effect was evident on the day we were celebrating five months.

Jesse had made a beautiful cake for him. It was hand decorated and of course made from scratch. When Jesse walked out with it and we were all clapping, Caellum looked at Jesse, pointed and said "Unca!" His first word. Jesse almost dropped the cake. Beca was getting the video camera ready in case he said it again and I was speechless.

"Caellum who's this?" Beca pointed at Jesse, trying to coax it out of our son.

"Unca!" he screamed and started clapping for himself.


	11. Tinfoil Armor

Beca was abuzz with wedding plans. She had us going here and there, finalizing every last detail. Jesse was pretty much my hero through this time. He was always offering to take Caellum, or at least bring him to the sitter if he also worked.

One night as I was feeding Caellum Jesse came and sat down beside me.

"Would it be okay with you if Jessica came by while I had the little munchkin tonight?" Jesse had convinced Beca and me to go on a much needed date night.

"Yeah Jess, she is always welcome here you know that. Caellum loves her and she's amazing with him." I replied. I gave up forcing baby food into my son's mouth. "You win Munchkin. Spinach and peas is apparently not your favorite kind."

I washed him up, and changed him into PJs for Jesse. When I carried him out, Jesse was sitting on the couch.

"Unca!" Caellum screamed, clapping his hands. Jesse chuckled and extended his arms to take the laughing baby.

I cleaned up the kitchen and got changed. It was Beca's night to put Caellum to bed. She took it very seriously. Even if she had to go back to work after, she always came home for seven sharp to put him to bed on her night. The clock in the living room read six fifty five. By the time six fifty eight rolled around, Beca tore through the front door.

"I'm home. Sorry I'm late." she kissed me chastely on the lips and scooped her boy out of Jesse's arms. "Bed time for you little man." she headed off with him. Jesse flashed me a joint, and led the way to the terrace.

Jesse watched Jessica's car pull into the parking lot. She didn't smoke weed with us very often, but she always waited downstairs for him while he did. His eyes lit up as she waved to him from the ground.

"You really love her don't you Jess?" I asked him as he lit up.

"Yeah Chloe, I really think so. How'd you know Beca was the one?" he passed me the joint.

"Honestly?" he nodded. "The fact that we can just be with each other and there's no expectations. We can sit together and be comfortable in silence. We can sleep together and not have sex. We talk openly about things that are bothering us. No secrets, no holdbacks. That's important. It's been almost three years now Jesse and every time I look into those ocean blue eyes, my heart skips. When we kiss, all the air still leaves my lungs. We can laugh together about the small things. When you have something special... Hold onto it." I exhaled smoke and passed the joint back to him.

"Don't tell Beca, but I'm going to ask Jessica to marry me. At the rehearsal dinner for your wedding. She's the one Chloe, I know it." he smiled goofily and for once I knew it wasn't the dope.

We went back downstairs and Jesse practically pushed me out of the way to get to Jessica. He wrapped his arms around her, kissed her gently and whispered softly, "I love you. I missed you." in her ear. She smiled and blushed.

Jesse and Jessica were probably the cutest couple I had ever seen. On his way home, shortly after we'd moved here, Jesse saw her on the side of the road. He'd stopped, and helped her change her flat tire. She then offered to buy him a drink for the trouble. They hit it off that first night, and Jesse came home looking like a child on Christmas morning. He was so excited. He called her up a few days later and they'd gone out for dinner. They had been together ever since. Seven months later and it was apparent that Jesse had found his soulmate. She loved his geeky movie references and the way he called her princess. He adored her sense of humor and the way she smelled like grapefruit all the time. They were happy together, you only had to look at them to see it.

Jessica was great with our little rock star too. She ran a very successful group of dayhomes. She knew her stuff and was always willing to let us pick her brain about him. It was important to Jesse too. In his mind if you didn't like Caellum, you weren't worth his time.

"Jesse, I need to tell you something." she seemed nervous. "I-I'm... Pregnant. I'm already two months along. I'm sorry. I know this is all really fast and we didn't have any time to prepare, but it's happening." she started to tear up.

Jesse led her to the couch. "Jessica, baby, I'm here. I'm not going anywhere. This is a good thing. A little family. You, me and the baby." he rested his hand on her stomach and smiled at her. It wasn't Jesse's usual carefree grin though, this smile was so loving and tender. It communicated enough to Jessica that he was there to stay.

"Are you sure Jesse? I'd understand if you didn't want this." she confirmed one last time.

"I'm right beside you Princess. The whole damn way. Tinfoil armor and all." she giggled. "I'm going to protect my family. I promise."

"You two should go do something together. Caellum is sleeping. We'll stay in and have a date night. You need to talk and figure out your plan." Beca offered.

"Thanks Beca. We appreciate it. I promise we'll watch him for you soon." Jesse said, leading Jessica out of the house.

Beca invaded the kitchen and made us supper. She put candles at the table and grabbed a bottle of wine. We sat down to eat and I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face.

"You seem happy." she commented as she poured us both a glass of wine.

"You're just so cute. If anyone from back in Seattle were to see Beca Mitchell now... I don't think they'd believe it. Loving mother, devoted fiancée, caring friend... Just all not what you would associate with the Beca Mitchell back then. What you did for Jesse, making me dinner; you're a sweetheart. The fact that you make it home by seven every night to say good night to your son is adorable. I'm really happy with us right now and you should know that a lot of it has to do with how perfect you've been to me." I entwined my fingers with hers on top of the table.

"I wouldn't be all these things if you hadn't saved me. I was heading nowhere fast. I was arrogant and I knew how the streets worked. I could get anything I wanted, because people were scared of my reputation. Except you. You turned me down. For about ten seconds until I turned your opinion around." she grinned. "And when you were through with the bullshit you left. You made me earn you back."

_"I'll get it Red." My best friend Amy offered, rising up from her side of the couch. _

_I hadn't left my spot on her couch in two days. I just sat there, watching all the movies Beca refused to watch with me. _

_"I don't think she's ready to see you yet, DJ Asshole." I could hear Amy defending me in the hallway. _

_"I really don't give a shit. I'm here to see my girlfriend." she was already heated. That didn't mean anything good for the conversation that was bound to follow._

_She burst through the door, looking about as tired and sleepless as me. _

_"Chloe, I know I fucked up... A lot. I know I can be a flirt, and I now see why you always hated the club when I performed. When you left before my show, and I stayed afterwards, I knew you would be gone when I got home. So I got wasted, and every girl who came up to me made me realize I was nothing without you. I went to that statue that we hung out on after you first saw me play, and I stayed there until sunrise. Remembering everything we had ever done together. Something inside me broke when you came into my life Chloe Beale, and the badass in me died. Now all I want to be is good enough for you." she was crying._

_"Prove it to me. From now on we leave after you play. No more girls. I don't want to worry about it any more. Okay?" I negotiated my condition. "And I'm staying with Amy til the end of the week. I just need some space to clear my head Beca. I love you, and I will come home, but I need it." she clenched her jaw to prevent from saying anything. She was mad, but she knew better than to push me. Her wrist had just healed from our blowout a couple months prior._

_"Fine. I'll be there, waiting. I love you Chloe. So much." she turned and walked out._

_"Woah, Red, you're really making her sweat it out." Amy said plopping down beside me._

_"Yeah, well, I sweat it out for her a fair few nights too." _

"Well, you had screwed up a few times by then, breaking a couple promises along the way." I stated honestly.

"Never again, I promise. I don't even see the fans any more. I mean it when I say the only girl I see is you." she whispered resting her forehead against mine.

"I know babe. You proved it. A long time ago." I whispered back.

Beca wanted to wait up for Jesse. I knew she was worried about him. When he came home he was smiling though.

"So what's up Jess?" she asked

"Well, we're keeping the baby and I asked her to marry me. I had planned on doing it the night before your wedding but it felt right to do it now." he couldn't keep the grin off his face.

"She obviously said yes. The look on your face says it all." Beca spoke my thoughts.

"Yeah, she did. Can you believe it Beck? Me, getting married and having kids? That's almost as crazy as you settling down. No offense." he laughed.

Beca nodded and pulled me up from the couch. "Bedtime." she yawned. And we walked down the hall.


	12. Forever and Always

**So I realize that not once have I used Beca's POV in this story up until now, but I wanted to highlight her side of this event as well. Hopefully its still good.**

CPOV

I stayed with my mom the night before the wedding, and Beca stayed at home. Caellum stayed home with her. I wasn't allowed to talk to Beca at all until the next day, even for updates on him. It was the first night since my accident that I had to try sleeping without him.

I tossed and turned all night. At around nine the next morning I got a phone call from Jessica.

"Morning Jessica. What's up?" I answered. I could hear Jesse and Beca in the background.

"I just had my appointment. We're having a girl Chloe! So far the doc says she looks like she's developing very healthy. I just wanted you to be one of the first to know." she practically was crying into the phone.

"Can you put Caellum on for a minute? I miss him so much." I asked her. She giggled.

"Sure hun, here he is." her voice got distant. "Say hi to Mama C!"

"Uh-ma." he babbled at me.

"Hey baby! Mama misses you. Love you Munchkin, see you soon!" he squealed as he heard my voice come from the phone.

BPOV

I had never done well away from Chloe. She was my rock, the reason I was still around. Any time I had ever had to go away for work, or the nights she was in the hospital, I felt empty. I couldn't even sleep in our bed without her. I slept on the recliner in Caellum's room.

I had just settled Caellum into his high chair and was about to start shovelling Pablum into him when Jesse and Jessica came in. Jesse was practically vibrating with excitement.

"It's a girl!" he shouted at me. "A fucking girl Beck! I always wanted a little girl." tears started down his cheeks.

"I'm going to call Chloe and tell her. You two celebrate. Feel free to leave Caellum with me if you want to go upstairs." Jessica cut in.

"Jess, man, you're going to be the father of a beautiful baby girl. Have you guys picked names yet?" I asked him.

"Actually yes. Jessica always liked Emily. She wanted me to pick the middle name. I figured who better to name my daughter after than the woman I would most like to see her grow up and be like, other than Jessica of course. Emily Rebecca Swanson."

"Really Jess? Wow, that's a big thing man. I'm honored."

"You should be. Now let's get you ready for your wedding Beck."

CPOV

When I went back to the house an hour before the wedding, Beca was already upstairs double checking everything. As per my request, our photo album had been laid out on the registry table and I stopped and flipped through it for a few minutes. I landed on one picture and tears sprang into my eyes.

_"I know that they're gone and that they never got to meet you, but I know they'd have loved you Chlo." Beca said staring at her parents headstones. _

_"Hey, Beck, this means more to me than you can know." she nodded, her jaw locked and her eyes set._

_"I used to sleep here a lot. Especially when I was younger. It felt like I could almost still kiss my mom goodnight, and like my dad still had his strong arms wrapped around me." her words stopped as her tears started. _

_"Hey now, I'm here baby. Let it go. No one is here to see you cry but me." I wrapped my arms around her and we dropped into the dirt, her curled up in my lap. Her sadness took over her entire body as she finally started letting go of some of it. _

_When she'd gathered herself she'd taken me to the Pier. That's where the picture was from. Beca had insisted on making me ride the ferris wheel. I had been clinging to her for dear life when she snapped a picture of us. The smile on her face was stronger than it had been in the past. _

My mom and Jessica helped me change into my dress. Then Jesse managed to get Beca off of the terrace so I could go out with him and smoke one before everyone started arriving.

"I'm really happy for the two of you. You guys deserve each other you know that? I wasn't convinced that I believed in love, until you came into the picture Chloe. The way Beca's entire world stopped for you proved to me that it was still possible to be unconditionally in love with someone. You saved her, from destroying herself. Just know that."

"I don't know Jesse, I think she saved me. I don't know that I even believed in love before I met her and now I can't turn back." I said smiling.

BPOV

The time was now. I was standing up on the little stage we had put on the terrace. Jesse was beside me, holding Caellum.

There was a flash of red and everyone was on their feet. Amy lead the way and then I saw her. I couldn't breathe all the sudden. My knees went weak and it was like time froze.

_I was sitting in the back of my Intro to Philosophy class. Jesse had conned me into taking it with him, telling me the class would be full of hot, smart women. So far it seemed like bullshit to me._

_There was a project due today. Typical Beca and Jesse fashion, we blew it off. The teacher called on a pair of people and they went up._

_I turned to look at them, and instantly wished I had been listening when the prof called on them._

_She was perfection. Her red hair framed her face perfectly. The blue of her eyes shone all the way to the back of the room. When she smiled, I actually gasped. Jesse looked at me funny and chuckled at me. When she spoke, I lost all thoughts other than her._

_I knew that I needed to talk to her. I needed to know who she really was. Unfortunately it seemed that everytime I tried to talk to her I was suddenly illiterate._

_I waited for the next class project. The teacher called names for pairings and somehow I wound up with her. She went and switched names though, telling the teacher that she needed to make sure her grades stayed up and she knew I didn't care. _

And now she was walking towards me, smiling the whole way. Her bright blue eyes locked on mine and I think her pace quickened. I walked down to meet her father as he handed her over to me. He shook my hand and pulled me into a hug.

"Promise you'll take care of her, okay?" he asked me, tears welling up in his eyes.

"Always, sir." I replied. I took Chloe's hand and we went up and faced the Justice.

CPOV

I won't lie, I don't know about half of the things the Justice said. I was so busy staring at Beca. I couldn't keep my eyes off of her.

_"Yes, Miss Beale? Is there an issue with the partner I gave you?" the Professor asked me as I approached his desk._

_I had been paired with the one and only Beca Mitchell. Not only did she not give a damn about her grade in this class, she was highly distracting. I found myself turning around more than I needed to, or was really smart, to look in her direction. _

_"I'm just worried that with the partner I have that my grade will be affected. I need to make sure I have high grades sir. I want to get into the Masters Program for Psychology and they won't accept me with a mediocre mark. I would rather field this assignment alone than with her." Total lie, but I needed to keep my head down for now. I wouldn't let Beca Mitchell get to me like that. I was here for school, not useless crushes. _

When it was time for our vows, Beca looked at me, her ocean blue pouring into me.

"Chloe Beale, the first time I saw you I changed. I was nothing before you and you turned me into something. You taught me patience, and fairness. You showed me how to handle my reservations and fears. You brought a happiness into me that I was unaware I could feel. With you I was given a new chance to live again. You filled my empty home with laughter and warmth, and you made me smile again. You are my better half Chloe and the wonderful mother to our child. I promise you, I will love you until the day I die. I will stay true to you, until I cease to breathe. I will take care of you with every ounce of strength I have in me. You are my forever and always baby, and I will never let that go." she slid my ring on my finger.

I grabbed her hand. It was my turn. I had never been as good as her with words, but I tried.

"Beca, I give you my heart with this ring. I know that you've had it for three years now, but I now give it to you with a new promise. I promise that I will be a supportive wife, and that I will always be your biggest fan. I promise to live in the now with you, and share each moment like it could be the last one. I promise that you will never go to sleep at night without knowing how much I care about and love you. You are the most amazing wife anyone can ask for and I swear to you that I will spend every day reminding you of that." I slid her ring on.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce to you for the first time, Mrs. and Mrs. Beca Mitchell! You may now kiss the bride."

Beca leaned me over and kissed me. After three years, you would have thought I'd be used to it but when she pulled me back up I was breathless.

"I love you baby." she whispered in my ear.

"I love you too." and we headed downstairs.


	13. Set

We were on our honeymoon when I brought it up for the first time.

"Caellum strangely resembles you babe. Have you ever noticed it? He's definitely got your eyes... I would recognize that ocean blue anywhere." I showed her a picture Jesse had emailed me of Caellum and Jessica playing with the train set.

She took a deep breath. "There's probably something I should tell you Chloe. Luke's sister Trinity... Isn't biologically his sister. She's mine. When my parents died, they split us up. Luke's mother wanted Trin, but not me. She was only three at the time. I couldn't just take her and leave when I found out. A few years later, Luke drove from Seattle to Chicago to find me. He told me how she was doing, brought me pictures and that sort of thing. He kept me updated on her regularly. Ultimately she's why I chose Seattle for college. Luke started bringing me around and when I saw her for the first time... I knew I'd still do anything to protect her. I got all of the money from my parents, they hadn't had a chance to change the wills, but I made sure she was taken care of. Luke brought her to California with him, because his mom had started drinking heavily and he knew I'd want her close when I got there. He called me before we even left Seattle and told me she was pregnant. I knew I had to take Caellum from her, she wasn't ready. I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. Jesse doesn't know, hell Trinity doesn't know. Just me and Luke. And now you I guess." She was wiping tears off her face with the sleeve of her sweater.

"Beca, baby, I get why you didn't tell me. I see how painful it is to you that she doesn't know you are her older sister. To even talk about her is killing you. I get it. I'm glad we have our son and I think what you did by taking him was selfless and the most honorable thing you have ever done. The fact that we got him from your family makes it that much more special, doesn't it? To see your flesh and blood grow up with everything you never had?" I tried comforting her, but it was too late. Beca was excluding herself from reality already.

"I need some time babe. I just gotta go for a walk or something and clear my head. I'm sorry." she got up and walked out of the room.

She was gone all day, and I started to worry. The rain picked up and it was getting dark outside by the time she walked in soaked and shivering.

"Oh my god, Beca! Get out of those clothes. Jesus Christ, what were you thinking?" I panicked when I saw how blue her lips were turning.

She just shook her head and started undressing. I grabbed a blanket from the closet and wrapped her up in it. She let me pull her down on the couch and hold her until she stopped shivering.

"Snowflake?" she whispered to me. "I love you, so much and I know I promised you two weeks in paradise... But I miss him. I need to hold him and cuddle him and have him remind me that I am normal. This whole talking about Trinity thing has me spun out. I just don't want our honeymoon to be you sitting in the room waiting for me to come home while I walk around and chuck rocks at the ocean. Can we go home and you won't hate me?" she looked up into my face.

"Of course we can. You know I don't care where we are as long as it's with you. That's my paradise." she kissed me.

Things pretty much went back to normal when we got home. Beca went back to work and I was at home all day. Jessica had moved in with us and had started early maternity. At least I had the company. Beca and I had opted to turn the master into a room for both kids and we switched our room to the nursery. That had been a fun day to watch. Beca and Jesse were determined to do it without any help and they spent the following five hours cursing each other and screaming random swear words. Finally after a particularly bad incident involving Beca's fingers and the bed frame from our room, she screamed out, "Fuck you Uncle Jesse!" and dropped her end. Caellum, clapping and laughing on Jessica's lap started yelling too.

"Fuck Unca, fuck Unca!" and I buried my face in my hands.

"Awesome. The two words our son can say. Not cat or bird, but fuck and uncle. That's just fantastic." Beca thought it was great.

"At least you can use him to curse Jesse now. Seeing as he has no respect for the moneymakers." she held up her red hand. I kissed it gently.

They did wind up finishing it, Caellum yelling fuck the entire time.

By the time July rolled around again, Caellum was nine months. He was starting to take steps, and his vocabulary expanded greatly. Beca sat down with me to discuss the next portion of our lives.

"Do you still want to go back to school? Or would you prefer to continue being my beautiful homemaker?" she joked with a wink.

I knew I wanted to go back, but I didn't think this was my year. Jessica thankfully piped up.

"I'm going to be home with Emily for the year. I have no problem keeping Caellum too. I think you should do it Chloe. You took a year off and did the mom thing but I can see it's killing you to not have finished what you started. This way you don't have to stress about taking him to daycare and I can keep you updated all day. Go for it, it's two years of your life and then you can take more time off before you start the doctorate portion you've been dying to take. By the time you've taken a year or two between, Caellum will be in school too, and it will be a hundred times easier to go back."

"Jess, are you sure? I mean... A newborn and Caellum? He's a handful and a half, and he's only getting worse." I reasoned.

"Sweetheart, I did it for a living. I can handle two babies. Trust on that. Plus, he's not so bad. He's just active and curious. That's a good thing. He's thinking and learning. Believe me... I want to do this for you guys. After everything you've done for us."

"If you ever need me to pull out and help Jessica, are you going to tell me? I will in a second and try again another year." she nodded.

It was set. I was going back to school.


	14. Emily

Going to school without Beca there was almost as hard as leaving Caellum at home. The first day I barely remember how I got through the day. I was constantly texting Jessica and making sure everything was okay. The fact that she was due any day now only added to the anxiety. Jesse was working late nights so that he was around if something happened while I was at school.

Eventually I settled into it, going to class and leaving immediately after my last one. I would walk in the door and Jesse would walk out. I hadn't seen much of him since I went back to school. Caellum was going to be a year old in a few weeks and I couldn't believe how fast he seemed to be growing up. He was cranky lately, his teeth were cutting. He was chewing on anything you would let him.

One day in late September I was sitting in class and my phone started to ring. I answered it ducking under my desk.

"Hello?" I whispered.

"Jessica went into the hospital. Her water broke." It was Beca.

"I'll be there after this class. It's over in twenty minutes." I hung up quickly and sat up. The professor was staring at me.

"Sorry." I said, my face flushing.

When I got to the hospital Beca was sitting in the all too familiar waiting room. I remembered pacing this exact floor almost a year ago. Caellum was chewing on her finger.

"What's going on?" I asked.

"Her water broke. She went into early labor, just like they thought she might. Jesse's with her now." I reached for Caellum and she passed him to me.

We sat there quietly and waited. Beca disappeared for about an hour at one point and came back with supper. Caellum fell asleep on my lap around eight and shortly after Jesse came out looking sad.

"She's here, but there's something wrong with her lung. They rushed her to the OR. Jessica's freaking out. She wants Chloe." I passed our sleeping boy to Beca and Jesse showed me to her room. Before I went in I turned to him and pulled him into a hug.

"She's going to be fine Jesse. She's going to be a fighter like you. Believe that okay?" he half smiled at me.

Jessica was almost in hysterics when I opened the door.

"Chloe? What's going on? They didn't even let me hold her before they rushed her away. Jesse said they're operating on her lung? Is she going to be okay? No one is telling me anything." she was bawling.

"Jess, Emily is going to be fine. She's going to fight for it like her dad did. Jesse's a fighter and I'm certain that's in the little girl you just brought into this world. Now lay back and relax. I'm here for the long haul. As soon as Beca knows anything she'll tell me." I helped ease her back into a laying position. Jessica dozed off after a while and I played games on my phone. Beca came in around eleven.

"Luke's coming to get Caellum. Neither of us wants to leave, but Caellum needs to get some rest. Trinity wanted to see him anyways. I figure it's not an awful idea." she whispered sitting on the floor between my legs.

"It sounds okay to me. She's not going to change her mind about him though?" I was nervous about that.

"No, Luke was adamant that it was of no concern. He said she is happy with her choice, but that she was feeling the need to at least see him." she reassured me kissing the tips of my fingers. I got up to kiss Caellum goodnight. Luke was there already and a young girl of sixteen who looked almost identical to Beca. It was kind of scary. Jesse was trying to pick his jaw up off the ground as he looked from Beca, who was behind me, to Trinity.

Beca just walked over to the makeshift crib she'd made with hospital chairs and lifted Caellum from it. He started fussing a little bit, and she calmed him down and handed him to Trinity.

"He's teething, there's Tylenol in his bag. There's enough diapers in there til tomorrow afternoon, but I should be there to get him in the morning. He's basically eating our food now just blended or soft. There's formula in there, half that half milk. Here's the bag. Thank you guys. I appreciate it." Trinity just nodded.

"Love you Beck. We'll take good care of him. I promise." Luke leaned over and kissed her cheek.

Jesse cornered her after they left. "Do you want to explain why Luke's sister is identical to you? Like I fucking called her Beca before I realized it wasn't you. That's really freaky." he asked her.

"She's my fuckin sister okay? The system split us up because Luke's mom wouldn't take me. I'm sorry I never said anything but it was easier not to Jesse. It was easier to just try and pretend I wasn't dying inside missing her. She's the whole reason I moved us to Seattle in the first place. Then at least I could see her when I went to Luke's. I don't know Jesse, it just didn't make sense to say anything. I think she's happier not knowing, you know? Less confusion for her really. Not that she probably hasn't put two and two together by now. She has to have. Look at us. We are the same person. Fuck I don't know man. This is all just too much. I'm going to pester the doctor about Emily again." she walked off.

"You shouldn't have done that Jesse. She's tired and worried about Emily and now she's agitated. You know her better than that, tomorrow would have been a better time to ask. At least then she would have had the mental focus to come up with a lie if she wasn't ready to tell you yet. You kind of forced her to be ready. It's not the end of the world but, you should have dropped it for the night." he nodded in agreement as Beca came back.

"Nothing yet. Go see your woman Jesse. She needs you. We'll wait out here for any news."

I led Beca to a chair. "You need to tell Trinity. Like you said, I'm sure she figured it out already... But she deserves to know from you. She seems mature enough to handle the truth. Everyone else knows now, she may as well hear it."

Beca slid off her chair and found that comfortable spot between my legs. "Mmhm... Tomorrow Chlo. I will." She nodded off.

A couple hours later Jesse shook us awake. "Go home girls. Emily made it out of surgery fine. She's going to be okay. Get some rest okay? I'll see you guys tomorrow. I love you."


	15. Heartbreak

Beca woke me up at around nine the next morning. As I walked into the kitchen, I heard the terrace door close. I went up after her.

"How am I supposed to tell her Chlo?" she asked me, as she laid down on the couch and lit a joint. I could tell she was really thinking about it.

"The best way you know how. If she freaks out it is her stuff and not yours. You know that. She's young Beca, but so were you when you first made contact with Luke. I don't know, I've never dealt with this before. I don't want to psych degree you because I know that you aren't the average case Beca Mitchell. I think you have to do what's best for you because you are the one who has to live with it." I took the offered joint from her.

"Yeah, I'll probably just say it. I've never been great with this sort of thing. We should go after this. I want to get my boy home and go see Jesse at the hospital yet."

We finished the joint in silence. Beca's features were laced with anxiety and for the first time she looked twenty five to me. When we were done we got up and went downstairs to finish getting ready. Beca grabbed the keys and we went down to the car.

Luke's place was a forty five minute drive from ours and when we got there he was out on the porch playing with Caellum. Trinity came out as we pulled up with a bottle for him. When we got out Caellum started shrieking.

"Hey baby boy!" Beca said, lifting him from Luke's arms. "How's my little rock star today?" he started babbling at her.

"Want to go inside? I feel like we should talk." Luke offered as he opened his front door. Beca's jaw set and she nodded.

When we were all seated in the den and Caellum was in my arms guzzling back a bottle, Beca spoke up.

"So, I'm not really sure how to gently ease into this one. Trinity, you and I are biologically sisters." she said locking her ocean blue with Trinity's light green.

"How... How do you know?" she whispered back.

"Mom and Dad, they died in a car wreck. You were three and I was eleven. Your mom... Only wanted you. I let you go so that you could have more than I did. So you wouldn't end up hard like me and alone. Then a few years after they took you from me, Luke drove down to Chicago to find me. He brought pictures and told me all about how you were growing up and you were in school... I was so proud. When I got my GED, I moved to Seattle with Jesse, and Luke was able to keep me posted better. Then you got pregnant, I graduated college and I moved out to LA to get a job and step up for Caellum. I know it's a lot to handle, but I couldn't not tell you anymore. You're a Bryant now, but you used to be a Mitchell like me and I figured you ought to know."

"Why didn't anyone tell me? I've been old enough to know for a long fucking time now." Jesus Christ, she was a mini Beca. Even her temper flared up the same way. "You all knew and yet, no one thought I should know this intimate little detail of my own life?" Luke cut in now.

"It was my call Trin. I didn't know if you were ready. You've been through so much. The pregnancy and mom's drinking and trying to get you graduated on time... I just panicked and asked Beca to keep her mouth shut. I love you and I was just trying to protect you." he said taking ahold of her hand.

"Alright, fine. But what now? Am I going to have to leave because I found my real family? Cause I don't want to go Luke. You're my brother and my rock. I need you." she squeezed his hand.

"No baby girl. You aren't going anywhere. Just after last night, seeing the two of you together, people started putting things in place and figuring shit out. We wanted you to hear it from us, before you read it online or saw it on TV. Beca's pretty famous after all." He pulled her into a hug.

"We should go. You guys got some stuff to talk about. Trinity, if you ever need anything or just have questions you can always call me okay? Same goes for if you want to see Caellum. You can always see him if you want to." Beca said as she stood up.

"Wait! I have one question for you. Mom and Dad... Did they love us? Were they good parents?" she asked.

"They were the best Trin. They loved us so much. Dad was amazing, he could do anything. Mom was so loving and gentle. You were her pride and joy Trinity."

"Good, I just needed to know that someone loved you as a kid."

"They did. That's what got me through it all. Knowing if they could have been, they'd have been there."

Beca drove to the hospital without a single word spoken. When we got there we were directed to Jessica's room. As we walked in, we saw the three of them sitting on the bed.

Jesse was in awe. There was a sparkle in his eyes that words couldn't even begin to describe. His usual grin had been replaced by a face splitting smile and his finger was in Emily's fist.

"Hey world's greatest aunties! This is Emily Rebecca. Emily, these are the two most amazing women in the world other than your mommy. Get used to them, cause they never go away." For the first time all day Beca softened. She walked forward and extended her arms to take Emily. She looked down at her and started cooing the way she had when Caellum was first born.

After Emily got home, things sort of fell into a routine. Beca went to work, I went to school and Caellum stayed with Jessica and Emily. He was so cautious around Emily it was adorable. He protected her well too.

The two of them were playing on the carpet one day when Jessica's brother came over to visit. Caellum had never met the guy before. When her brother leaned down to pick up Emily, Caellum bit his hand. Jessica apologized like a hundred times, explaining that Caellum didn't usually bite and she had no idea why he had.

Her brother looked at her and said, "I'd have done the same thing to protect you. He didn't know me and I was reaching for his little cousin. They're close and he's already protective."

Beca was so proud when she heard the story, I was embarrassed.

A year flew by in no time at all. Caellum was talking and walking, Emily was crawling and saying her first couple of words. Jesse and Jessica got married, which was the most beautiful thing to see and Beca had dropped several more huge albums for Universal. Much to Beca's heartbreak though, we still hadn't heard from Trinity. Luke had only told Beca that he wasn't going to play message boy for her, and that Trinity would call her when she was ready.

I went back for my second year of school. On September 5 2012 my heart was shattered and I dropped out again.


End file.
